CASHLESS PARKING PAYMENT SYSTEM INTRODUCED BY DONEGAL COUNTY COUNCIL

The days of scrambling around for change to pay for parking across Donegal are now at an end with a new cashless payment system which was launched on Monday the 22nd of June 2020 by Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council Cllr Rena Donaghey.

The phone app will operate in each of the five towns in Donegal that currently have pay and display in operation – Ballybofey, Buncrana, Bundoran, Donegal Town and Letterkenny. It can be used on any of the streets and car parks where pay and display parking currently operate.

This new payment option is provided by ParkMagic and drivers who want to avail of the new service can simply search on the internet for “Donegal eParking” and it will bring them to the ParkMagic site OR if they go to www.donegalparking.ie it will bring them to our general parking website site where they then can get access to the eParking website.

Once on the site you can directly pay for parking on your Computer, Tablet or Smartphone or download the APP which is free from the APPLE STORE and GOOGLE PLAY.

If drivers register for an account either online or via the APP, there are is no monthly administration fee or other charges provided they top up the account by €40 or more at any one time and there is no time limit on using this credit, if they top up by less than €40 then there will be a €1 admin fee on top ups. This credit can also be used on TollTag.ie when using any of the country’s toll roads.

Pictured launching the new eParking Service are Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Counci,l Cllr Rena Donaghey, John McLaughlin, Director of Service for Roads and Transportation, Donegal County Council, Sean Flanagan, Leona Curran, Donegal County Council Parking Section and Danny Dougherty, Traffic Warden.

Welcoming the initiative, the Cathoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr Rena Donaghey, stated that the new system would be very convenient for shoppers and visitors. “There will be no need to worry about having the right change for parking - you just download the Donegal eParking app, select the zone, the amount of time you want to pay for and pay from your pre purchased credit. You won’t have to rush back to the parking machine and put up a new ticket before the old one expires, you can extend your parking time from your phone without going back to your car so can finish your meeting or your cup of coffee at your convenience and ease”.

Director of Service for Roads and Transportation John Mc Laughlin said "Donegal County Council is delighted to be in a position to provide this new additional service. We are constantly improving our services by providing more efficient, alternative and customer friendly services with the use of advancing technology; and parking is no different. This service will provide an alternative and more convenient way to pay for parking for everyone wishing to visit and do business in the larger towns in the county. He gave a special mention to Donal Walker, Senior Executive Engineer who headed up this initiative along with his dedicated office staff in the Parking Unit and the team of Traffic Wardens on the ground.”

Paul Fitzgerald, CEO of ParkMagic said "We at ParkMagic are delighted to have had the opportunity to roll out our parking payment solution for Donegal. Donegal County Council has been very innovative in defining how they wanted their Donegal eParking solution to be offered to the customers and we worked quickly to get all the customisation done and ready for the recent launch. We are proud that our systems are now in use along the Wild Atlantic Way from Cork to Donegal offering locals and visitors a fast, convenient and safe way to pay for parking"

The new service is being provided in conjunction with current pay at the meter method and Donegal County Council has emphasised that the current parking meters are not being decommissioned and drivers can pay at the meter as usual.